Electromechanical relay

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a multicontact electromechanical relay wherein a relatively large slidable switching assembly is moved by a relatively large slidable switching assembly is moved by a relatively small solenoid to &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;on&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;off&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; positions by successive operations of the solenoid through a ratchet-cam arrangement.

United States Patent Inventor John S. Lory Commack, N.Y. I 25,132

Apr. 2, 1970 Nov. 30, 1971 v Lory Electronics, Inc. Deer Park, N.Y.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAY 9 Claims, 26 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 335/190,

H01h3/00 FieldofSearch 335/73,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,521,561 9/1950 Batcheller 200/163 2,874,244 2/1959 Hamblett et a1. 335/190 3,230,330 1/1966 Bauer et a1 335/131 3,246,101 4/1966 Caputo 335/115 3,248,497 4/1966 Lindsay 335/190 3,482,192 12/1969 Walker ZOO/153.9

Primary ExaminerHarold Broome Atmrney- Leo C. Krazinski ABSTRACT: There is disclosed a multicontact electromechanical relay wherein a relatively large slidable switching assembly is moved by a relatively large slidable switching assembly is moved by a relatively small solenoid to on and 011" positions by successive operations of the solenoid through a ratchet-cam arrangement.

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INVENTOR JOHN S. Loev HTTORNEY ELECTROMECIIANICAL RELAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field Of The Invention The present invention relates to electrical relays and, more particularly, to an improved relay of the type about to be described.

2. Summary Of The Invention An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical relay which is reliable in operation. d

Another object is to provide such a relay which is highly resistant to shock and vibrations.

Another object is to provide such a relay which is relatively small but yet controls a large number of circuits.

A further object is to provide such a relay which is simple and compact in construction and can be fabricated and assembled in an economical manner.

Other and further objects will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are generally accomplished by providing an electromechanical relay which comprises in combination a slidable switching assembly including contact means movable therewith and stationary contact means positioned with respect to the movable contact means to provide for on" and "off" switching positions; means for effecting slidable, reciprocal movement of the assembly including a ratchet rotatably mounted on the assembly having a plurality of Iongitudinal tongues with cam faces at their free ends, a plunger mounted adjacent the ratchet having a plurality of longitudinal tongues with cam faces at their free ends cooperating with the ratchet cam faces to successively advance and turn the ratchet and to effect retraction of the assembly, a cap insert having a plurality of grooves for the ratchet and plunger tongues and cam faces for engaging the ratchet cam faces, a solenoid for actuating the plunger and the ratchet; and a return spring for the assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a relay in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view as seen looking towards the right of the relay shown in FIG. 1, as indicated by the arrow 2.

FIG. 3 is an end view as seen looking towards the left of the relay shown in FIG. I, as indicated by the arrow 3.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the relay shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the elements for actuating the switching assembly movable contact means.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the switching assembly.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 on FIG. 4 illustrating the relay in ofi position.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the ratchet.

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the ratchet.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line l010 on FIG. 8. v

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the ratchet.

FIG. 12 is a rear elevational view of the plunger.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the plunger.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the plunger.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line l515 on FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of the cap insert which carries the ratchet and the plunger.

FIG. 17 is a rear elevational view of the cap insert.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the line 1818 on FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7 illustrating the relay in on" position.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along the line 20-20 on FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along the line 21-21 on FIG. 7.

FIG. 22 is a developed view of the ratchet, plunger and actuator with the parts separated from each other.

FIG. 23 is a developed view of the parts in FIG. 22 showing their locations while in the off position of FIG. 7.

FIG. 24 is a developed view of the parts in the initial stage while moving from the off position of FIG. 7 to the on" position of FIG. 19.

FIG. 25 is a developed view of the parts showing their locations while in the on" position of FIG. 19.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view taken along the line 26-26 on FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown an electromechanical relay which generally comprises a switching assembly (FIG. 6), the means for effecting slidable movement of the movable contact means of the switching assembly (FIG. 5), and a casing 25 for housing the elements shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The switching assembly (FIG. 6) comprises four spaced apart parallel electrically. nonconductive plates or strips 26", 26", 26, and 26each having six lengthwise spaced conductive printed circuit surfaces 27 on one side thereof with the surfaces of adjacent pairs of strips 26", 26 and 26-26' facing each other. The upper edges of the strips are maintained stationary on a header 28 (shown in inverted position in FIG. 6) which serves as a cover for an opening in the casing 25, and the ends of the strips extend into grooves 29 formed in opposite walls ofthe casingZS. V 7 V The switching assembly further comprises a slidable unit 30 including three electrical nonconducting bars 31a and 31b and 32 interconnected by a pin 34 (FIG. 7) for movement as a unit. The bar 32 is disposed between the strips 26b and 26c and functions only as a slider; the bar 31a is disposed between the strips 260 and 26b, and the bar 31b is disposed between the strips 26c and 26d.

The bars 310 and 31b have crosswise extending bores 35 (FIG. 7) with a conductive ball 36 at each end thereof for contacting the conductive surfaces 27 and nonconductive surfaces 37 (between the surfaces 27) to provide on and off" positions of the relay. The balls in each bore 35 are urged outwardly by a spring 38 within the bore. Each of the conductive surfaces 27 is connected to a terminal 39 mounted on top of the header 28 (FIGS. I to 4, and FIGS. 20, 21 and 26), the terminals 39 serving to connect the relay in 12 circuits.

In FIGS. 7, 21 and 26, the relay is shown in ofi'" position with the balls 36 engaging the nonconductive surfaces 37, while in FIGS. 19 and 20, the relay is shown in on" position with the balls 36 contacting the conductive surfaces 27.

The means for effecting movement of the movable bars and contacts of the switching assembly comprises a rod 40 for engaging and pushing one end of the bar 32, a return spring 41 engaging the other end of the bar 32 (FIGS. 7 and 19), mechanism (FIGS. 5 and 8 to 18 and 22 to 25) for operating the rod 40 to actuate the slidable units 30, and a solenoid 42 for operating the mechanism.

The solenoid 42 includes a coil 44, an armature 45 and a pin 46 engaged by the armature to effect operation of the mechanism.

The aforementioned mechanism comprises a ratchet 47 (FIGS. 8 to 11), a plunger 48 (FIGS. 12 to 15), and a cap insert 49 (FIGS. 16 to 18). These elements are arranged so that upon energization of the solenoid 42, when the relay is in the position shown in FIG. 7, the slidable switch unit 30 is advanced towards the left to assume the position shown in FIG. 19; and so that upon the next energization of the solenoid, when the relay is in the position shown in FIG. 19, the slidable switch unit 30 is retracted towards the right by the return spring 41. In the aforementioned operation of the mechanism,

the ratchet 47 is alternately stepped from one position to another upon each movement of the solenoid armature, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

The ratchet 47 has a generally cylindrical body 50 provided with a bore 51 for receiving the rod 40 at its rear end and being closed at its front end by a cylindrical projection 52. The ratchet body further has three equidistantly circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending external ribs or tongues 53 thereon with cam faces 54 at the front ends thereof (FIG. ll).

The plunger 48 has a bore 55 at its rear end for reception of the ratchet projection 52 and has six equidistantly circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending external ribs or tongues 56 thereon with equiangular cam faces 57 joined by a ridge 58 at the rear ends thereof for engaging cam faces 54 of the ratchet 47 (FIGS. 12 and 14).

The cap insert 49 is a hollow cylindrical member having three longitudinally extending internal grooves 59 for slidably receiving the three tongues 53 of the ratchet 47 and has cam surfaces 60 (FIG. 18) for engaging the ratchet cam faces 54. Also as seen more clearly in FIG. 16, the cap insert 49 includes three additional longitudinal grooves 61 for slidably receiving, in conjunction with the three grooves 59, the six tongues 56 of the plunger 48.

Operation of the ratchet-plunger-cap insert combination for effecting slidable movement of the switching assembly will be more evident from reference to FIGS. 22 to 25 wherein the ratchet 47, plunger 48 and cap insert 49 are shown in developed views. In FIG. 22 the three elements are shown in tandem as separate items. It is to be noted that the cap insert 49 is stationary, that the tongues 56 of the plunger 48 move forward and backward only in the grooves 59 and 61 of the cap insert 49, and that the tongues 53 of the ratchets 47 move backwards and forward in the grooves 59 of the cap insert 49 and the ratchet can only turn when the tongues 53 are moved beyond and outside the grooves 59.

Accordingly, in FIG. 23 the above three elements are shown with the switching assembly retracted to the right in FIG. 7, that is in the off position, the spring 41 urging the ratchet cam faces 54 against the ridge 58 and one of the plunger cam faces 57 Upon energization of the solenoid 42 (FIG. 7) its armature 45 moves to the left and in engaging pin 46 also moves the pin to the left into engagement with the front end of plunger 48, so that the plunger 48 and ratchet 47 both move to the left, as seen in FIG. 24, wherein it will be noted that the ratchet tongues 53 are still in the grooves 59 of the cap insert 49, although about to be moved out of the grooves 59. An instant later the tongues 53 are freed of the grooves 59 and immediately the plunger cams 57 acting upon the ratchet cams 54 cause the ratchet 47 to rotate. Since energization of the solenoid occurs only as a momentary pulse, the armature 45 is released and the entire mechanism is retracted by the spring 41 to the right, as seen in FIG. 7, to the position shown in FIG. 19 and, more particularly in FIG. 25, where the ratchet cam faces 54 are in contact with the cap insert cam surfaces 60. It will also be noted that forward portions of the three ratchet tongues 53 are disposed in grooves 61 of the cap insert 49 indicating that the ratchet 47 has rotated 60 from its initial position.

The relay shown in FIG. 19 is in the closed circuit condition. To place the relay next in the open circuit condition of F IG. 7 the solenoid 42 is again energized and the ratchet 47 and plunger 48 are similarly moved to the left, as viewed in FIG. 25. When the ratchet cams 54 are moved beyond the points 62 of cam surfaces 63 of the cap insert, the ratchet tongues 53 are free of the grooves 61, after which the ratchet is rotated by pressure of plunger cam 57 against ratchet cam 54, whereby upon release of the solenoid 42 the ratchet 47 is retracted to the position shown in FIG. 23 (also FIG. 7) with tongues 53 in grooves 59.

SUMMATION From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved relay wherein the switching functions are accomplished by a relatively short stroke of a small solenoid adapted to operate a multiple circuit relay.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matters are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. An electromechanical relay comprising, in combination, a solenoid, a slidable switching assembly having contact means movable therewith, stationary contact means positioned with respect to said movable contact means to provide on and off" switching positions, cam means interposed between said solenoid and said slidable switching assembly for effecting slidable movement of said switching assembly upon energization of said solenoid, said cam means including a hollow member having a plurality of longitudinal slots and cams on its inner peripheral surface, a plunger having a plurality of tongues for reciprocal movement within said slots of said hollow member upon actuation of said solenoid, a ratchet having a plurality of longitudinal tongues for reciprocal movement of said slots of said hollow member in response to movement of said plunger, and a spring for biasing said slidable assembly against said cam means.

2. An electromechanical relay in accordance with claim I, wherein each of said ratchet tongues has a cam face at a free end thereof, each of said plunger tongues has a cam face at a free end thereof for engagement with said ratchet cam faces and each of said hollow member cams has a pair of cam surfaces at a free end thereof for engagement with said ratchet cam faces, whereby when said movable contact means are in an off switching position and disengaged from said stationary contacts said ratchet tongues are disposed in said hollow member slots and said ratchet cam faces are in engagement with said plunger cam faces and disengaged from said hollow member cam surfaces, and when said solenoid is energized to place said movable contacts in an on" position and engaged with said stationary contacts said plunger in response to energization of said solenoid moves said ratchet until the ratchet tongues are free of the hollow member slots at which point the plunger cam faces in engagement with the ratchet cam faces turn the ratchet a predetermined amount after which upon release of the solenoid the ratchet tongues are retracted in said hollow member slots with each of the ratchet tongue cam faces in engagement with one of said pair of cam surfaces of said hollow member, and whereby upon another energization of said solenoid said plunger moves said ratchet out of said hollow member slots, away from said one cam surfaces of said pair of cam surfaces and onto the other cam surfaces of said pair of cam surfaces to turn the ratchet a predetermined amount after which the ratchet tongues are retracted into said hollow member slots by said biasing spring upon release of the solenoid to place the movable contacts into an off" position.

3. An electromechanical relay according to claim I, wherein said switching assembly includes a slidable bar having aperture means extending transversely therethrough, said stationary contact means includes a pair of plates each facing one side of said bar and each having lengthwise spaced electrically conductive and nonconductive portions thereon, and said movable contact means include an electrically conductive element at each end of said aperture means and slidably mounted therein and an electrically conductive spring between said elements for urging said elements towards said plates.

4. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, wherein said elements are balls.

5. An electromechanical 'relay according to claim 3, wherein said conductive portions are printed on said plates.

said assembly includes a pin having one end in contact with one end of said last-mentioned slidable bar and having said ratchet mounted at its other end, and said biasing spring engages the other end of said last-mentioned slidable bar.

9. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, including a pair of headers for respectively mounting the ends of said plates, and a casing for mounting therein said headers and all of said other components of said relay.

I t I 

1. An electromechanical relay comprising, in combination, a solenoid, a slidable switching assembly having contact means movable therewith, stationary contact means positioned with respect to said movable contact means to provide ''''on'''' and ''''off'''' switching positions, cam means interposed between said solenoid and said slidable switching assembly for effecting slidable movement of said switching assembly upon energization of said solenoid, said cam means including a hollow member having a plurality of longitudinal slots and cams on its inner peripheral surface, a plunger having a plurality of tongues for reciprocal movement within said slots of said hollow member upon actuation of said solenoid, a ratchet having a plurality of longitudinal tongues for reciprocal movement in said slots of said hollow member in response to movement of said plunger, and a spring for biasing said slidable assembly against said cam means.
 2. An electromechanical relay in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said ratchet tongues has a cam face at a free end thereof, each of said plunger tongues has a cam face at a free end thereof for engagement with said ratchet cam faces and each of said hollow member cams has a pair of cam surfaces at a free end thereof for engagement with said ratchet cam faces, whereby when said movable contact means are in an ''''off'''' switching position and disengaged from said stationary contacts said ratchet tongues are disposed in said hollow member slots and said ratchet cam faces are in engagement with said plunger cam faces and disengaged from said hollow member cam surfaces, and when said solenoid is energized to place said movable contacts in an ''''on'''' position and engaged with said stationary contacts said plunger in response to energization of said solenoid moves said ratchet until the ratchet tongues are free of the hollow member slots at which point the plunger cam faces in engagement with the ratchet cam faces turn the ratchet a predetermined amount after which upon release of the solenoid the ratchet tongues are retracted in said hollow member slots with each of the ratchet tongue cam faces in engagement with one of said pair of cam surfaces of said hollow member, and whereby upon another energization of said solenoid said plunger moves said ratchet out of said hollow member slots, away from said one cam surfaces of said pair of cam surfaces and onto the other cam surfaces of said pair of cam surfaces to turn the ratchet a predetermined amount after which the ratchet tongues are retracted into said hollow member slots by said biasing spring upon release of the solEnoid to place the movable contacts into an ''''off'''' position.
 3. An electromechanical relay according to claim 1, wherein said switching assembly includes a slidable bar having aperture means extending transversely therethrough, said stationary contact means includes a pair of plates each facing one side of said bar and each having lengthwise spaced electrically conductive and nonconductive portions thereon, and said movable contact means include an electrically conductive element at each end of said aperture means and slidably mounted therein and an electrically conductive spring between said elements for urging said elements towards said plates.
 4. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, wherein said elements are balls.
 5. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, wherein said conductive portions are printed on said plates.
 6. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of sets of said slidable bar, said plates, elements and spring are provided, and said slidable bars are completed for movement with each other.
 7. An electromechanical relay according to claim 6, wherein another slidable bar is slidably mounted between a pair of plates, and said last mentioned slidable bar is coupled to said first mentioned slidable bars.
 8. An electromechanical relay according to claim 7, wherein said cam means for effecting slidable movement of said assembly includes a pin having one end in contact with one end of said last-mentioned slidable bar and having said ratchet mounted at its other end, and said biasing spring engages the other end of said last-mentioned slidable bar.
 9. An electromechanical relay according to claim 3, including a pair of headers for respectively mounting the ends of said plates, and a casing for mounting therein said headers and all of said other components of said relay. 